Fallen Leaves
by KyrielF
Summary: At this time of year, the newsboys of Manhattan would wake up early, without the help of Kloppman, to deliver their papers, and sleep late, savoring each shortened hour of each autumn day. All the newsies loved autumn. All the newsies, save for one.
1. Prologue

[Disclaimer] Obviously (and sadly), I don't own Newsies..

Alright, this is my first real Newsies fic, so be kind! Haha, okay, so here goes:

~*~

The cobblestone streets of Manhattan, glazed with freshly fallen leaves, shone brightly under the new morning sun. The harsh summer weather had finally let up and all that was left was a cool, light breeze, signaling the arrival of autumn. Days were shorter, nights were longer, and everywhere you looked were the glistening golden and bronzed leaves of the gracefully fading trees. 

At this time of year, the newsboys of Manhattan would wake up early, without the help of Kloppman, to deliver their papers, and sleep late, savoring each shortened hour of each autumn day. To them, this was a time of relaxation and fun, going out to watch an afternoon flick or just enjoying each other's company at the local diner, Tibby's. All the newsies loved autumn. All the newsies, save for one. 

The only reason he woke up early with the rest of his comrades was because they caused such a row while getting dressed, any normal person would have trouble sleeping. So, this morning, like the mornings of last autumn, he woke up with the other newsies, listening to their cheerful plans of how their day would be but never joining in. No, to him, autumn was not a time for play and happiness. Of course, he wanted to join his friends in their joyous manner, but he couldn't help but keep to himself. 

All because of two autumns ago. The memories the year before last gave him were enough to drive him insane. The guilt, the regret, the remorse, the memories that were pushed into the back of his mind during spring, crept slowly upon him in summer, hit him in autumn, and left him abandoned and lost during winter. 

He didn't even want to believe in love anymore. He had let his chance at love slip away when he knew he could have saved it just by saying those three little words. Those words that could have made all the difference. He wouldn't have to hide his emotions under the façade of his rebellious attitude, and he'd never have been alone. And being alone was all that he felt at autumn, despite his numerous friends that always seemed to be near him. As much as he wanted them to, they couldn't fill the empty space in his heart that had been ripped away. 

He continuously told himself that it had been his fault, that if he hadn't just stood there and watched her walk away from him, that none of this repentance would be felt. He knew he couldn't go on this way forever, but he also knew that he couldn't move on, either. Not after seeing her cry. Not after knowing he was the reason. 

Moving over to the sink, he splashed cold water onto his face and looked into the dusty mirror in front of him. Staring back was the reflection he was not afraid to look at any other time of the year, but this one. He looked away quickly and grabbed the nearest towel to dry his face. Not bothering to change out of his sleepwear, he pulled on a pair of dark brown pants and a light blue shirt, rolling up the sleeves despite the fair weather. Just as he was pulling on his brown cap, he heard a familiar voice call to him. 

"You comin', Skittery?" said a boy from the doorway. Skittery nodded. 

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm coming."

~*~

Okay, yeah, I know this is a bit short, but hey, it's the prologue! So, review, tell me what you think... and I'll give you mookies! Haha, okay, that's cookies and muffins...


	2. Chapter One

[Disclaimer] Still don't own Newsies, and of course, Ershey owns herself.

Oy, well, it took me long enough to get out another chapter, didn't it? Well, here it is, chapter one of Fallen Leaves! Enjoy. :D

~*~

_"Have you ever been in love, Skitts?" she asked, leaning against lamppost in front of the Lodging House and staring up into the clear, baby blue sky. _

_"I wouldn't call it love, exactly," Skittery replied, leaning against the other side of the same post, "It was more like a crush. Then, I realized she was nothin' but a bitch hidden under a pretty face and I stopped likin' her." _

_"So, that's a 'no', right?" she replied, smirking as a small gust of springtime wind breezed by them, "But that's it? Just one crush in your whole life?" _

_"Guess I'm just waitin' for the right girl to come along," said Skittery, turning around to face her, "What about you? You ever been in love?" _

_She shook her head. "Nah, same as you, just crushes." She brushed a stray lock of her jet-black hair behind her ear. "I guess we're both just waitin' for the right person, then. 'Course, there ain't nothin' wrong with waitin'." _

_"Yeah," Skittery replied. They stood in silence, enjoying the light breeze before returning to the noisy atmosphere inside the Lodging House. _

_"But what if that someone you're waitin' for doesn't like you back?" Skittery said, breaking their silence, "I mean, what if you find the perfect person, fall in love with 'em, and then find out they don't feel the same way?" _

_"Then," she paused, searching for the right answer, "I guess they weren't the perfect person after all." _

_"Why's love got to be so complicated?" Skittery sighed. _

_"Aw," she cooed, standing up straight and moving in front of him, "Don't worry, Skitts. You'll find your perfect person." With that, she reached out to mess up his hair, then turned and walked back toward the door of the Lodging House. _

_"It's nice to know you're so optimistic about my future," Skittery said, laughing. _

_"What are friends for?" she replied, shooting him a smile before disappearing behind the door._

~*~ 

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm coming." But in reality, that was the last thing Skittery wanted to do. He didn't want to trudge downstairs and join the rest of the newsies as they filed out of the Lodging House and toward the distribution center. He didn't even want to sell papers even though it meant he wouldn't have anything to eat the whole day. It wasn't like he was hungry anyway. He pushed his own feelings aside once he saw his best friend at the bottom of the stairs, eagerly awaiting what the new day brought. 

Bumlets was almost the complete opposite of Skittery. The black-haired boy was optimistic, kind to everyone he met, and it was rare to see him angry. Skittery, on the other hand, hardly ever looked to the bright side of things, was easily angered, and liked to be left alone most of the time. Many people wondered how the two boys could be the closest of friends, but they figured it was just like the old saying: opposites attract. 

"Finally!" Bumlets exclaimed, "I was about to check if you'd fallen back asleep! Ready for another day?" 

"In a word: No," Skittery replied, making his way slowly down the wooden steps. Bumlets frowned at him. 

"Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed," he said, rolling his eyes. 

"Same side I always get up on." 

"Yeah, I noticed," Bumlets replied. He smiled, letting Skittery know it had been a joke. Skittery smirked and rolled his eyes. If it hadn't been Bumlets he was talking to, Skittery would have glared at the person or yelled. Lucky for Bumlets, he was the only person who could dish out the "bad mood" jokes and not get a black eye in return. 

"Ready to sell some papes, walkin' stick buddy?" Bumlets asked cheerfully as the two boys grabbed the two wooden walking sticks from the wall and exited the Lodging House. 

"Okay, Bumlets, how many times have I told you never to say that?" Skittery replied with an exasperated sigh. Bumlets stuck out his tongue. 

"You're no fun today," he teased. 

"Am I ever?" 

Bumlets rolled his eyes. "You know, you need to be more upbeat. People are gonna start thinkin' there's somethin' wrong with you if you act so glum around 'em all the time." 

"I'll keep that in mind," Skittery said sarcastically as the two made their way across the square. 

"I mean, where else did you think you got the nickname 'glum and dumb'? It ain't because you're happy…" But Skittery wasn't listening anymore. His attention had turned to the lamppost in front of them. 

_"You'll find your perfect person…"_

He reached out slightly, allowing his fingertips to brush past the green post lightly as they passed. He let out a deep sigh as he and Bumlets turned the corner and the lamppost disappeared from sight. As they continued their walk, Skittery noticed Bumlets gazing up at the sky every so often and frowning. 

"What is it?" he asked, when the darker-haired boy looked up again. 

"It's gonna rain," Bumlets replied, returning his gaze forward, "I hate rain." 

"You and Ershey both," Skittery replied, looking up at the rain cloud above them, "You know, I don't get what's so wrong with rain. I like it." 

"It's just so gloomy. Actually, I can see why you like it so much, now," Bumlets joked, "Wait a minute. Ershey? I thought you hated her." Skittery shook his head. 

"It's more that she hates me. " He couldn't blame her though. She had every right to hate him. 

"Don't look now," Bumlets said once they had reached the distribution center. Skittery turned his gaze toward the crowd of other newsies in line to buy their papers. Right at the end, talking and laughing with a group of other newsies was none other than Ershey. 

"Great," Skittery muttered as he and Bumlets made their way to the line. 

"Remember," said Bumlets, "Upbeat! Happiness!" Skittery gave another exasperated sigh. 

"Well, fine," Bumlets replied, "But a small smile wouldn't hurt. Heya, Ersh!" He waved at the girl, who smiled and waved back. 

"Hey there, Bumlets!" Ershey said before turning toward Skittery, "Aw, what? No 'hi' from Skittery? Now that's just heart breakin'!" She clapped her hand over her chest and frowned in mock sadness. The newsgirls behind her started giggling. Skittery rolled his eyes. 

"But, of course," Ershey continued, "You're used to breakin' hearts, ain't you?" Skittery glared at her. Bumlets glanced at him nervously. 

"Don't do anythin'—." 

"At least I ain't used to bein' a conceited bitch," Skittery snarled. There came a couple of "ooh"s from behind Ershey, who was now glaring menacingly at him. 

"You're just used to bein' a damn jerk who doesn't care about people who have feelin's for you. People who might actually _love_ you." 

_"Have you ever been in love, Skitts?"_

"You don't know how I fuckin' felt, so you just shut the fuck up!" Skittery shouted, his temper getting the best of him, "Damn, if you weren't a fuckin' girl I'd—." 

"You'd what?" came a voice from behind him. Skittery whipped around and came face to face with Mush Meyers. Bumlets stepped between the two glaring boys. 

"Nothin', Mush!" he said, trying to put out the fire between them, "He wouldn't have done nothin'!" 

"Ha!" Ershey scoffed, "Cuss me out then do nothin'. Yeah, right. I don't know what my sister ever saw in you but—." 

"I don't have time for this," Skittery said, scowling, "Sorry, Bumlets, I gotta go." He pushed his way past Bumlets and Mush, heading out of the distribution center. He could hear Ershey yelling from behind him as he exited. 

"Yeah, that's right, Skittery! Go on and run! You should be used to that, too!" 

Skittery's walk quickly turned into a sprint as he made his way back to the square. As Bumlets had predicted, it started to rain as he ran. Thunder roared from the clouds above him and waves of rain fell onto the cobblestone streets. He finally stopped running once he had reached the statue of Horace Greeley. He leaned against it, out of breath and soaked to the bone. Sliding slowly to the ground, Skittery let out another sigh. 

"Why was I born so stupid?" he whispered to himself, the words drowned out by the pouring rain, "Why was I born so goddamned stupid?" 

~*~ 

Skittery sat alone inside the lobby of the Lodging House, his hair still soaked but the rest of him in dry comfortable clothes. He sat in silence, glaring at the wall in front of him as if he could burn a hole straight through it. The sound of rain grew louder, telling him that the door had been opened and someone had walked inside. 

"Skitts?" came the voice of his best friend, "Are you in here?" 

"Yeah," Skittery replied in a low voice, "I'm in here, Bumlets." 

Bumlets made his way over to the couch, taking off his rain-soaked hat. "What happened earlier?" he asked, "I thought you were goin' to try to stay upbeat!" 

"There are some things that I just can't try to ignore with a smile," Skittery replied, never taking his eyes off the wall in front of him. He heard Bumlets sigh. 

"Well, you gotta try. You can't let Ersh and Mush get to you. Mush is on a warpath, by the way. You'd better watch your back." 

"Oh, now that's something to be happy about," the other boy replied sarcastically, "Anythin' else that could just brighten up my day?" 

"This really won't help," Bumlets said, running a hand through his hair nervously, "But you have to know…" 

Skittery tore his gaze from the wall to look up at his friend. "What is it?" 

"Kyriel's movin' back to Manhattan tomorrow."

~*~

**Ershey** - We'll soon find out what happened to Skittery... *cough* Even though this chapter made it a bit obvious and you might know already because I'm horrible at keepin' secrets from you! We must make mookies... *death poke*  
**Azn-Kimmi** - *waves* 'Allo Kim! *gives mookies*  
**Sapphy** - *nod* Sad... but me likey sad fics. *nod* ANGST 3 *gives mookies even though I've drowned you in them*  
**Josephine August** - Thank you so much! You probably left me the best review I've ever received. Hehe, you should have seen me... I scrapped this chapter so many times tryin' to get it as good as the last. I'm finally satisfied with it. :D *gives mookies*  
**Dewey** - Hehe, I love that sentence a lot too. *nods and gives mookies*  
**Dippy Conlon** - Thankos for the review! But, that sentence actually turned out the way I intended it to. ^^

You know what to do! Review for mookies!


	3. Chapter Two

[Disclaimer] Still don't own Newsies, but I do own Kyriel.

Oh my god! An update only one day apart? Is this REAL? I'M updatin' so soon? *blinks* Believe it, folks! Here's chapter two of Fallen Leaves! *takes out maracas* Cha, cha, cha!

~*~

_"I didn't lose it on purpose!" came a yell from up the Lodging House stairs. Skittery looked up from the newspaper he was skimming through to figure out who was shouting. _

_"Everythin' I lend you, you lose!" came another shout, this time from another person's voice, "Why can't I just have a normal sister who ain't such a pain in my neck?!" There was the sudden sound of a door slamming, causing Skittery to jump. He turned toward the stairs and saw one of his closest friends walking down them, her arms crossed over her chest and her head hung low. _

_"She thinks she owns the world," Skittery heard her mutter, "Just 'cause she's a year older don't give her no right to—." She stopped abruptly after noticing Skittery had been listening to her, "H-hey, Skitts," she said, sniffling, "Didn't see you there…" _

_"You okay, Ky?" Skittery asked, putting the newspaper down and walking over to her. The girl nodded. _

_"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied. _

_"Then why are you cryin'?" _

_Kyriel turned her gaze back to the floor. "I lost her necklace. I didn't mean to… I guess it just fell off, and of course it's all my fault." She looked up at Skittery, tears slowly streaming down her face. "But I guess it's just dumb sister stuff, you know?" _

_"You shouldn't let her get to you all the time," Skittery replied, watching as Kyriel wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand. _

_"I know," she said, sniffling again, "But, I just get the feelin' that she thinks she can walk all over me, you know? Just 'cause I'm younger…" _

_Skittery motioned for her to come closer. She obliged and he wrapped his arms around her in a warm embrace. Kyriel looked up at him and smiled. _

_Skittery wasn't sure how long he and Kyriel had been standing in the lobby staring into each other's eyes when he finally spoke. "I'll help you find the necklace. Just…." He trailed off as Kyriel pressed her lips softly onto his own. _

_"… don't worry about it," he continued before gladly returning the kiss._

Skittery awoke the next morning to a small pain in his right shoulder. He squinted his eyes open, allowing them to adjust to the sunlight pouring through the window before turning over to see what was causing the ache. He groaned. 

"Bumlets, go away," Skittery grumbled, pulling his bed sheets over his head, "And stop pokin' me, please…" 

"Wake up, Skitts!" said the other boy enthusiastically. 

"I'd rather not," Skittery muttered, "Just let me die here in peace…" He heard Bumlets sigh exasperatedly. 

"Oh, come on," Bumlets said, rolling his eyes and pulling the sheets off of the bed, "Kyriel comes back today. Don't you want to see her again?" Skittery didn't answer. Instead, he pulled his pillow over his head. Bumlets quickly pulled the pillow off the other boy and hit him on the back of the head with it. Skittery sat up and glared at him, but Bumlets just smiled back innocently. 

"Fine," Skittery said sighing, "I'm getting up, but only because I can't fall back to sleep without blankets and a pillow!" 

"I win!" Bumlets said, smirking. With that, he turned and headed downstairs. 

Skittery stood up and stretched. "Why can't I just stay up here?" he wondered aloud, "It's not like they'd miss me." Not feeling like going through his normal morning routine of putting on his work clothes, Skittery grabbed his usual pair of brown pants and pulled them on over his faded pink pajamas. After quickly splashing water onto his face from the sink near the bunk-beds, he forced himself to walk down the stairs and into the lobby. 

Ershey, Mush and the small group of newsies they usually hung around were already back from selling papers and were sitting around and on the couch in the middle of the lobby. Bumlets had obviously decided to let him skip selling and sleep in. Skittery was grateful, although he couldn't deny that he would have rather not woken up at all that morning. 

Bumlets had been sitting on a step at the bottom of the staircase, waiting for Skittery to come down. 

"Good mornin'!" he said happily as the taller boy sat down next to him, "Actually, it's almost afternoon." 

"What time is it?" Skittery asked, scratching the back of his head. 

"Almost eleven," Bumlets replied, "I didn't think you'd be in the mood for an early wake up call. Erm, because of what happened yesterday, I mean." 

"You know me too well." Skittery glanced at the crowd of newsies around the couch. Mush had his arm around Ershey, both of them laughing and talking with their friends. The couple hadn't always hated him. In fact, they had been two of Skittery's best friends, but ever since Kyriel left they'd done nothing but insult him and make him feel lower than he already was. 

Skittery hesitated before speaking again. "So, what time is Kyriel supposed to get here?" 

Before Bumlets could answer, however, the Lodging House door swung open gently. Ershey jumped up from her place on the couch to hug the girl who had just walked in tightly. After a couple of moments, she let go, revealing a girl with jet-black hair with dark brown eyes and a small smile gracing her delicate facial features. Skittery turned away, hoping the girl wouldn't notice him right away. 

Bumlets on the other hand, jumped up quickly and ran over to greet the girl. "Kyriel!" he exclaimed, giving her a hug. She smiled and returned it. 

"Heya, Bumlets!" said Kyriel, pulling away, "How you been?" 

"Can't complain," he replied before the other newsies in the lobby came up to them, all welcoming Kyriel back to Manhattan. 

"Okay, okay!" Skittery heard Kyriel say through all the other chatter, "I'll come right back down. Just let me drop my stuff off in the bunkroom. Hey, Ersh, I gotta talk to you later, alright?" Skittery watched as she pushed her way through the crowd and make her way toward the stairs. 

"Skittery?" Kyriel said once she'd reached the staircase. Skittery looked up at her and forced a smile. 

"Hey." 

"Hi," Kyriel replied, making her way up the stairs. 

"Um… I missed you," Skittery said softly, standing up as she passed him. Kyriel forced a small smile of her own and merely nodded as she reached the top of the stairs. 

"Me, too." 

"Kyri?" Skittery said, walking up the stairs and following her as she made her way to the door at the end of the hall. 

"Yes?" Kyriel replied, turning around to face him. 

"Do you remember the night you left?" Skittery asked, not thinking entirely about how she would react, just wanting the answer he had been needing for two years. Kyriel stared at him, not knowing how to respond. 

Skittery, finally registering the fact that he shouldn't have asked her that so suddenly said, "Look, I—." 

"Of course I think about that night," Kyriel replied turning her gaze toward the ground, "It's kind of hard to forget, dontcha think?" She opened the door that led to the girls' bunkroom. 

"I'm—." 

"Don't apologize," she said, giving him a small smile and shaking her head. She shrugged, "It ain't your fault. You didn't love me." With that, she entered the room and closed the door behind her, leaving Skittery alone in the hallway as waves of guilt washed over him. 

"But that's not true…" 

_The sound of rain echoed through the Lodging House lobby as Skittery followed Kyriel to the door. _

_"You can't leave!" he shouted, "Why? Why do you have to go?" _

_"I told you!" Kyriel said, turning around to face him, tears streaming down her face, "My parents found me here and now they're takin' me back to Queens! There ain't nothin' I can do!" She turned back around quickly and yanked open the Lodging House door. Outside, the fallen, golden leaves whirled around in the gusting wind and rain. A horse and carriage waited in the middle of the square. _

_"No," Skittery said, grabbing Kyriel's hand before she could exit, "We can run away. Somewhere where they can't find us! Just—." _

_"Skittery, stop making this harder than it already is!" _

_"Please… Please, don't leave me," Skittery said softly, tears threatening to spill as he looked straight into her dark brown eyes. _

_"Skittery," Kyriel said, looking back into his eyes, "I… I love you." Skittery's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Kyriel let out a small sob, pulled her hand from his grasp and turned away. _

_"No, Kyriel, wait!" Skittery exclaimed as Kyriel walked out the door, shutting it quickly. After a moment's hesitation, Skittery yanked the door back open and ran outside, only to find that Kyriel and the carriage were gone. _

_He stood there for what felt like an eternity, letting the wind and rain beat against him as tears of guilt, remorse, and regret fell down his face. _

~*~

Confused about somethin'? All shall be explained in the next chapter...

Shout-outs!  
**Ershey** - *pokes* Don't worry... you ain't really a meanie. I'll prove it in the next chapter... hopefully.  
**Dippy Conlon** - Whee, glad you like it!  
**Sapphy** - Aloooooha! *puts on a grass and does the hula* I love rain too! *nudges Ersh* I don't know why Ershey hates it so much. Rain is awesome! And I've told you this before, but yes, you can host my fic. :D  
**Clem** - Arigatou! *coughs* That's 'thank you' in Japanese.  
**Dewey** - Ooh, if you think of which animated character, you MUST tell me! Oh, Toy Story rules, by the way. :D  
**Azn-kimmi** - Hmm... you sure your prediction is right? *cocks eyebrow* Only time will tell, ne? *cackles*

Reviews are very muchly appreciated. :D


	4. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Newsies :( and I also don't own that scene from Pretty Woman... But I love it anyway.

OH. MY. GOD. Do you have any idea how sorry I am for making you all wait this long?! Seriously. slaps wrist Oh, the guilt... Well, I won't sit here and ramble, here's the third chapter FINALLY! By the way, sorry if there are any typos... my eyes hurt...

* * *

"I wish I were dead, Bumlets. I really, really do." The lobby was now empty except for two boys sitting on the couch, one with his face in his hands and the other with his arm draped around the first's shoulders.

"Aw, come on Skitts," replied, Bumlets softly, "You don't mean that." Skittery shook his head at his friend's words.

"No, Bumlets, I really, really, do mean that." Bumlets got up quickly and knelt in front of him.

"No, you really don't," he said, prying Skittery's hands from his face, "So you made one mistake. The world ain't goin' to end!"

"Yeah?" Skittery said, feeling anger rising in him, "And what would you know?" Bumlets didn't respond. He didn't know how to. "That's what I thought. See, you _don't_ know," he continued, standing up and making his way toward the staircase.

"I'm just tryin' to be a friend," said Bumlets, following Skittery to the stairs, "And you know what I think?"

"No, Bumlets," Skittery said, not turning to look at the other boy as he walked, "What do you think?" He didn't care what Bumlets thought. Bumlets hadn't gone through what he had.

"I think you're blowin' this whole thing outta proportion," Bumlets said as Skittery continued up the steps, still not turning to look at him, "She's obviously moved on and it's time you should to! She ain't the only girl out there so you should just get over it and—."

"Get over it?" Skittery said in a low voice, finally turning around to face the boy at the bottom of the stairs, "You want me to get over it? Well, I'm sorry, Bumlets, if I can't just fuckin' _get over it_. You don't think I haven't tried? For god's sakes, Bumlets, I've been trying for _two fuckin' years_! I mean, I'm sorry if I can't be all smiles and sunshine like you are. I ain't you and I can't just _get over things_!" Bumlets fell silent at his friend's sudden outburst.

"You didn't go through what I went – no – am goin' through, okay? Friends I once had _hate_ me, you got that? They _fuckin' hate me_. Two of 'em would even be happy to see me _dead_. So, you know what? I'm goin' to go do them both a favor and just DROP DEAD." Skittery turned around quickly, not waiting to see Bumlets' reaction as he fled up the stairs and into the empty boys' bunkroom, slamming the door behind him and locking it.

Leaning against the door, he slid to the floor, sighing. Although he didn't want to admit it, he knew Bumlets had been right.

The sound of muffled footsteps could be heard before a gentle knock at the door sounded. "Skitts?" Skittery let out another sigh before drawing his knees up to his chest.

"Just go away, Bumlets," he said loud enough for the other boy to hear him. Skittery shifted slightly, listening for sounds on the other side of the door.

Silence.

"I SAID GO AWAY!" Skittery yelled, disturbing the stillness of the room. He heard footsteps again on the other side, only this time they were growing fainter and fainter, much to his relief. Once he was sure there was no one outside, Skittery stood up, unlocked the door and pushed it open slowly.

After making sure no one was in sight, Skittery made his way quickly and silently toward the staircase at the end of the hallway. Making his way up the stairs, he opened the door at the top and exited onto the Lodging House rooftop.

Sighing deeply, he slowly took in his surroundings. The sun was just setting, a light breeze was blowing, and the only sounds were the rustling leaves in the trees below him.

"You know, you never could keep your temper from getting the best of you, could you?" came a voice from somewhere behind him. Skittery turned around slowly to find Kyriel sitting on one of the ledges of the rooftop.

"You heard me, huh?" Skittery asked, walking toward her, "And don't sit there… You're makin' me nervous."

"Not really," Kyriel replied, shaking her head, "But I got the gist of it. That's some nice language you used." She smirked at him.

"Yeah, well, I was frustrated," said Skittery, running a hand through his messy brown hair nervously, "Could you get off the ledge, now?"

"If you hate heights so much, why do you like to come up on the roof?"

Skittery shrugged. "I don't know. It's just peaceful, you know?"

"A-ha," Kyriel replied, pausing for a moment before smirking mischievously. She glanced behind her and at the street below. "Whoa, it's pretty high up here."

"It is. Now would you please—."

"What if I leaned back a little?"

"Ky—."

"Would you catch me if I fell?"

"Ky—."

"Look! No hands! Okay, okay, alright… I'm stoppin'," Kyriel laughed, hopping down from the ledge and taking a seat on the ground against it, "Scared you, huh?"

"Yeah, well, I don't need 'The Death of Kyriel' added to my list of things to be guilty about," Skittery replied, sitting on the ground next to her.

"So…"

"Hm…"

"So, who hates you?"

Skittery looked to the ground nervously. "Oh, you heard that, huh?"

Kyriel shrugged. "I think I might know someone in Queens who didn't quite hear you as well as I did."

"I thought you said you only heard the 'gist' of what I said," Skittery replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Skittery, that WAS the gist."

"Right."

"So…"

"Hm…"

"So, are you going to tell me or not?" Kyriel asked exasperatedly.

Skittery shrugged, trying to act as casual as possible. "I was sort of opting for 'not'."

"It's Ershey isn't it? And Mush?"

Sighing, Skittery leaned back against the ledge, turning his gaze back to the ground. "I can't say I don't blame them," he said, finally without looking up. "They have a right to hate me."

"That's not true," Kyriel replied, shaking her head. "They don't have any right to hate you."

"That doesn't change the fact—."

"The only person who has a right to hate you is me," she continued, pausing to take a deep breath. "Which, for the record, I don't." Skittery could see a hint of a smile on her face as she said those words to him.

"You don't?" he asked, hope rising in him.

"How can I?" she replied, smiling at him.

"What?" said Skittery, knowing there were probably a million reasons he could name that would answer her question.

Kyriel let out a short laugh, brushing back a stray lock of black hair from her face, and gazing at the setting sun. "I've spent the last two years trying to forget about my feelings for you. I thought I had succeeded, but…" She paused and turned to look at him. "But then I come back here and see you… And all those feelings come rushing back."

Skittery was rendered speechless at this point. For the past two years, he had been sure that she had hated him as much as Ershey and Mush did, but now he didn't know what to think.

Before he could reply, however, Kyriel was on her feet and heading toward the stairs that led back into the Lodging House.

"Where are you goin'?" Skittery asked, standing up quickly.

"I've gotta talk to Ershey," Kyriel replied. "I'll see you later." She smiled and disappeared down the stairs, leaving Skittery alone on the roof, with a small smile on his face.

_"Have you ever been in love, Skitts?"_

* * *

AND WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?! You'll find out soon, hopefully... Anyway, THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed and waited ever-so patiently for me to get off my lazy ass and update. :D I don't have time to do shout-outs right now, but thanks to all of you! Ooh, and, MY BIRTHDAY IS TOMORROW! :D


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